My name is Kate Vannelli and I am the Program Director at Global Conservation Corps. 

I am a conservation scientist and Nat Geo Explorer whose career began in Namibia, working to conserve cheetahs with the Cheetah Conservation Fund. I have a B.Sc. in environmental science as well as an M.Sc. in conservation and rural development from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. During my degree work, I conducted and published research on the community aspects of snow leopard conservation and ecotourism in the Himalayas through the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust, and gained experience with the many human dimensions of conserving large carnivores. I have also worked on the Namibian national leopard census, using camera traps and questionnaires to gain insight on the pressures facing the African leopard population. 

Currently, I work as the Program Director for Global Conservation Corps, focusing on our conservation education program, 'Future Rangers', which operates outside of Kruger National Park in South Africa. Our goal is to provide strategic and scalable conservation education and opportunities to youth living in areas of high conservation priority.

I am a bit of a wild cat nut, and in my spare time, I love to paint and draw them. Cheetahs are my all-time favorite animal.